CHECK OUT BLOGS ABOUT EARLIER MASTER'S THESES

MASTER'S THESIS TOPICS FOR autumn 2021

• Building innovation capacity through partnerships

  Building innovation capacity through partnerships

  Fundamental changes in the external environment; technological development, increased focus on sustainability, changing demographics etc., put high demands on well-established firms and public entities to develop innovation capacity. Increasingly, firms and public entities realize they need to open up and enter into partnerships to be able to transform their organizations in time. This research project seeks to explore innovative partnerships in three different streams:

  (1) study how public entities collaborate with private firms to innovate,

  (2) study multi-collaboration partnerships in developing new and innovative value propositions, and

  (3) study how an incumbent firm (BKK) can transform its innovative capabilities through partnerships.

  Contact person: Christine Meyer 

• Effective Teams

  Effective Teams

  Teams are often used to ensure efficient deliveries and sharing of highly specialized knowledge. However, globalization and modern technology imply increasing reliance on more “dynamic” and agile forms of cooperation. What makes teams work effectively in these settings? For example, how do relationships between team members form and develop over time, and how can leaders facilitate for trust and a psychological safe work climate?

  Contact person: Vidar Schei 

• HR in Digital Times

  HR in Digital Times

  Technological changes, such as digitalisation, may influence the organisation of work in profound ways. Digitalisation may replace work tasks and create demands for new skills. Furthermore, it may allow new ways to recruit, control, and reward employees. We want to address how technological changes affect the organisation of work, including digitalisation of HR activities and the use of HR-analytics.

  Contact person: Karen Modesta Olsen 

• Leadership Drivers of firm innovation and performance

  Leadership Drivers of firm innovation and performance

  A company’s mission has the potential to engage employees in the pursuit of goals and outcomes. We want to examine drivers that engage employees in innovative behaviors at the workplace. Especially when leadership unfold in a combination of physical and digital work or home context. We have collected survey data, and we are interested in supervising master students that could help us analyze the data.

  Contact person: Alexander M. Sandvik 

• Managing Radical Change and Innovation through Ambidexterity

  Managing Radical Change and Innovation through Ambidexterity

  Technological development requires that well-established firms innovate and develop new business that potentially cannibalizes the existing business. One way to deal with this is to establish an ambidextrous organization, referring to a separate organizational unit with responsibility for innovations. An underlying premise is that the new unit develops distinct capabilities, processes, and a separate identity. This research project seeks to understand the various ways separate units create value and contribute to renewing the established firm. 

  Contact person: Inger G. Stensaker 

APPLICATION 

Please fill out the online application form to apply to the program, where you include grade transcripts and a brief application letter (max 1 page) with information about your background, motivation to study the topic(s) of interest, preliminary research questions, and date for thesis submission.

The application deadline is 15 March 2021.

Go to the application form

WHY SHOULD YOU CONSIDER?

• Your advisor will be very dedicated to the topic and your work. People will be waiting to hear the results (advisor, research team and industry people)
• We have established relationships with corporate partners and networks, so in most cases we can help you with access. Although not all topics require access. Sometimes you can write your thesis on existing data.
• You’ll become a part of a team. A team of researchers and a team of master students. We arrange meetings for you to network, and to challenge and support each other.
• You'll have access to up to NOK 10.000 per thesis for travelling and other expenses.